1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to drilling and mining operations and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a drill pipe having an insulated conductor embedded therein for transmission of data.
2. History of the Related Art
The practice of drilling non-vertical wells through directional drilling (sometimes referred to as “slant drilling”) has become very common in energy and mining industries. Directional drilling exposes a larger section of subterranean reservoirs than vertical drilling, and allows multiple subterranean locations to be reached from a single drilling location thereby reducing costs associated with operating multiple drilling rigs. In addition, directional drilling often allows access to subterranean formations where vertical access is difficult or impossible such as, for example, formations located under a populated area or formations located under a body of water or other natural impediment.
Despite the many advantages of directional drilling, the high cost associated with completing a well is often cited as the largest shortcoming of directional drilling. This is due to the fact that directional drilling is often much slower than vertical drilling due to requisite data-acquisition steps. Data acquisition requires an electrical connection to be present between a down-hole tool and surface equipment. Embedding an electrical conductor into a drill rod expedites data acquisition associated with directional drilling and reduces overall costs associated with directional drilling.